Assessing Risk and Accessibility to Search and Rescue Teams

Introduction

Which areas within the Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas, are classified as high risk to rescuers searching for someone lost or injured, and which areas are more than 30 minutes from a hospital?

Many agencies, organizations, and companies have been realizing the value of geographic information system (GIS) technology for a wide range of applications. Recently, search and rescue (SAR) teams have used GIS to evaluate accessibility in national forests and other areas where recreation is popular. The job of SAR teams is to locate people in need of rescue and return them and the team to a safe environment. GIS is a good tool for assessing risk to search and rescue teams and analyzing the time it is likely to take to get an injured victim to a hospital. These types of assessments help SAR teams plan and prepare for efficient, effective, and safe rescues.

Location

This lab is focused on the Ouachita National Forest in northern Arkansas. The Ouachita National Forest comprises roughly 5,800 square kilometers, mostly in Garland, Logan, Montgomery, Polk, Saline, Scott, and Yell counties.

Time to complete the lab

Completion of the lab will take approximately one and a half to two hours.

Prerequisites

This lab is intended for intermediate or advanced GIS students with background knowledge of geoprocessing and map layouts. ArcGIS^® Spatial Analyst and Network Analyst extensions are also needed.

Data used in this lab

Land cover

Digital elevation

Roads

Cities

Ouachita National Forest boundaries

All the above files can be acquired from Arkansas Geostor (http://www.geostor.arkansas.gov/).

Projection Information

Geographic coordinate system: GCS_North_American_1983

Datum: D_North_American_1983

Projection: Transverse Mercator

Name: NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_15N